ASEAN in Today's World (AsTW) 2017 Program's Opening Ceremony

AsTW Program 2017 is held from March 3, 2017 to March 17, 2017 by VNU in collaboration with Kyushu University (Japan) with the participation of students from Japan and the ASEAN member countries.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, VNU President Nguyễn Kim Sơn said that the AsTW program not only promoted mutual understanding among the ASEAN countries but also helped raise students’ awareness and equipped them with knowledge, understanding of the ASEAN’s issues and ASEAN+3 cooperation to effectively contribute to the peace and prosperity of the ASEAN Community in particular and Asia in general.

VNU President stated that AsTW 2017 was an opportunity for VNU not only to introduce its leading interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary university model to international partners but also to affirm its representation for Vietnam higher education in regional and international cooperation activities, which promoted VNU’s students exchange, their experience sharing and active participation in ASEAN’s post-2015 activities.

At the ceremony, ASEAN Deputy Secretary-General Vongthep Arthakaivalvatee sent his warm thanks to VNU and Kyushu University for their role in AsTW 2017. He believed that in the age of information technology development, the AsTW program played an important role in connecting individuals, particularly regional students. Through the program, students had a good chance to share experience as well as enhance their responsibility awareness of ASEAN’s development.

According to Kyushu University President Chiharu Kubo, the two-week program initiated by Kyushu University had been organized in collaboration with Mahidol University (Thailand) from 2009 to 2011 and with Ateneo de Manila University (the Philippines) from 2012 to 2014. In 2015, recommended by ASEAN Secretariat and Vietnam Ministry of Foreign Affairs ASEAN Department, AsTW 2015 was jointly organized by Kyushu University and VNU in Vietnam.

The AsTW 2017 participants are grouped for English, Japanese or Vietnamese classes​​ in the morning and for ASEAN-related knowledge classes such as Food and Environment Issues in Asia, Intercultural Communication in Asia and Current Issues in Asia, in the afternoon. The classes are delivered by faculty from Kyushu University, Fukuoka Women's University and VNU. In addition, the participants are to attend a special lecture on ASEAN delivered by a representative of the ASEAN Secretariat. Furthermore, culture exploring excursions to Hanoi and its surroundings, Mai Chau (Hoa Binh province) and Ha Long (Quang Ninh province) are scheduled for the participants.